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<\/p>\nThe Baron\u2019s Men on stage at the Scottish Rite Theater last Thursday looked less like the average community theater troupe and more like time travelers.<\/p>\n
Performing Shakespeare\u2019s comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, the players commanded the stage, emphasizing every line with exaggerated character movements and booming voices, while the crowd looked on, ready to laugh and cheer at any moment.<\/p>\n
The Baron\u2019s Men are Austin\u2019s only Elizabethan Shakespeare company. That means the troupe performs Shakespeare according to standards of the late 16th century. There are handmade costumes and props and simple sets that fit the style of the time. They do, however, make a couple exceptions: women and electricity are allowed.<\/p>\n
Jackie O\u2019Keefe, a supporter of the troupe for three years, said what sets the Baron\u2019s Men apart from other Shakespeare companies is their commitment to innovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are very refreshingly open and they feel original,\u201d she said. \u201cThey feel like they are always inventing it as they go along.\u201d<\/p>\n
This run at the Scottish Rite marks 27 years for the Baron\u2019s Men. It\u2019s also the group\u2019s first time performing in a venue that isn\u2019t their longtime home, the Curtain Theatre. Last fall, the theater was closed and dismantled after a real estate developer bought the property it sits on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Baron\u2019s Men had become synonymous with the Curtain Theatre. So it’s kind of an unknown for everybody,\u201d said Michael Osborn, the director of Merry Wives and current president of the troupe\u2019s board of directors.<\/p>\n
Baron\u2019s Men evolution<\/p>\n
The inaugural Baron\u2019s Men production was staged in 1999 when a few people from the Society for Creative Anachronism, a nationwide group dedicated to reenacting pre-17th century history, decided to perform Shakespeare.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aA group of friends wanted to put on a show,\u201d Osborn said, \u201cand what they did was Henry the One-Fifth, a 20-minute version of Henry the V with four people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not long after, Richard Garriott, a member of the society and successful video game developer, offered to build a period-accurate theater on his land overlooking Lake Austin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Curtain Theatre was purposely built for the Baron\u2019s Men. It was one of North America’s only ‘wooden O’ Elizabethan replica outdoor theaters,\u201d executive artistic director Lindsay Palinsky said. The original wooden O was the Globe Theatre, a rounded amphitheater in England where the Bard staged his plays. <\/p>\n
Over time, the Baron\u2019s Men evolved from a few friends performing for each other into a full-fledged theater company, putting on two shows a year. In 2015, they became a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery bit of money that comes in goes right back into the organization,\u201d Osborn said. \u201cWe do actor workshops. We also do a lot of educational outreach where we go out to schools, run some scenes and do a little history lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Members of the Baron’s Men perform Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor at the Scottish Rite Theatre on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The theater itself grew, too, with other organizations using the stage. But the Baron\u2019s Men remained the main residents.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aOther troupes have played there, but it’s been our home, and we took tremendous pride in the care and upkeep of the Curtain,\u201d Osborn said.<\/p>\n
Then, halfway through their 20th season at the Curtain last year, the troupe received news about the property’s sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like, you could do one more show and then you gotta get out,\u201d Osborn said. <\/p>\n
The last show would be the Bard\u2019s will-they-won\u2019t-they couple\u2019s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of our biggest shows,” Osborn said. “It was a wonderful sendoff.\u201d<\/p>\n
The board and artistic directors began planning for the next chapter of the Baron\u2019s Men. The big goal became building their dream theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want an outdoor theater and we want an indoor theater and our rehearsal space and locker rooms,\u201d Palinsky said. \u201cAnd, after hearing slamming porta-potty doors for 20 years, [we want] real bathrooms for the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing fan base<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the team\u2019s main focus is making sure there\u2019s a plan to keep their annual two-show schedule going.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe launched a relocation fund, a donate button on our website,\u201d Palinsky said, \u201cBut we’ll be putting more concerted efforts toward community partnerships. We need to look at sustainable fundraising to figure out how we can ramp up into our growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The troupe had been building a base of dedicated patrons coming to see every show. One of those fans is 15-year-old Hudson Purma, who started coming to the Curtain three years ago with his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had been aware of Shakespeare,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I never experienced it in a proper setting and in a proper way. [The way the Baron\u2019s Men performed Shakespeare] just felt very real.\u201d<\/p>\n